Lynne gets very few opportunities to post on this blog. It's not that Matt is greedy with the posts or that he forbids her from adding her own commentary on this site. It is, quite frankly, that she'd rather read his writing than create entries of her own. Or that he is posting about totally crazy stuff that she'd never think to write about... on the American Internet or anywhere else.
But, she does have a few very important posting responsibilities. The first has already been taken care of: introducing the groom (which is probably
still here somewhere for you to read if you missed it). The second (
drum roll please!) is to introduce "her side" wedding party--which basically means all of the girls. So, without further adieu, here they are....
Leslie Seago
Role in the wedding: Bridesmaid
Relationship to the bride: Little sister
Known since: March 13, 1982
As a kid... Leslie was Lynne's best friend and her partner in crime. In fact, from the second Leslie was brought home from the hospital, Lynne called her "My Baby" and cared for her as such, going so far as to tell family members and neighbors alike how My Baby liked to be held, what foods she liked to eat, etc. As Leslie grew up, Lynne taught her all sorts of tricks, like climbing on top of the refrigerator to steal cookies from the cookie jar, and even helping her with legitimate things like homework and essay writing. Of course, as Leslie grew up, she needed less and less help from her big sister. She even started to do amazing things on her own, like serving as the captain of her high school swim team, swimming butterfly and freestyle--sometimes for a mile at a time!--first for Lincoln College and then for Western Illinois University, and graduating from
WIU with her teaching certificate and her degree and Physical Education. Lynne may not have helped with many of those things, but she was very proud when her little sister accomplished them.
Today... Leslie is a P.E. teacher at Lakewood Falls Elementary School in
Plainfield, Illinois. Aside from the early mornings, when she serves as a crossing guard outside the school (basically holding a stop sign in the middle of a busy road and hoping the cars actually stop), she plays games with kids all day. A great job, Lynne thinks. Plus, Leslie always has hilarious stories to tell at the end of the day. Leslie also swims on the Masters Swim Team, which is designed for adults of all ages who want to continue competitive swimming after their college careers are over. As a Masters Swimmer, Leslie practices at 5:30 AM each morning (YIKES!) and swims in several meets each season. She also coaches children's swim teams, both in the summer and a few nights a week during the school year.
Fun facts about Leslie:
1. Her favorite color is pink. In fact, she wears so much of it that the elementary school kids get confused and can't recognize her when she comes to school clad in another color.2. She likes to add -
ie to the ends of most words. For example: "Once I finish my
snackie and
my
drinkie, I'm going to go upstairs and take a
tubbie."
3. When she laughs really hard, no sound comes out.
What she brings to the wedding party: Leslie's main assets are that she is very helpful, and she's game for anything. She's the kind of person who's happy to ride along in the car with you when you're running an errand, just "so you have a buddy" and you don't get bored. This will come in handy because planning a wedding involves many, many boring errands and lots of occasions on which having a buddy will come in handy--like when you're stuffing envelopes, stapling programs, or putting together party favors. Lynne is counting on Leslie's help for all of those tasks, which Lynne knows will make doing them a lot more fun. Of course, it goes without saying that Leslie is fun. Lynne is looking forward to getting to do wedding-
ie things together and to having Leslie right by her side on the Wedding Day.
Laura Seago
Role in the wedding: BridesmaidRelationship to the bride: Little sisterKnown since: December 19, 1985
As a kid... To be honest, Lynne didn't like Laura much as a little kid. Laura broke all of her toys and tried to butt in when she had friends over. Plus, Laura bit. Hard. However, as both Lynne and Laura grew up, they developed some common interests and became good friends. They both like sports, especially baseball--go White Sox! They both like theater, and Laura accompanied Lynne to many plays, including several works by Shakespeare, while she was still in Junior High and High School. Like Lynne, Laura also likes to travel. When Lynne went to study in Cambridge, England, in the summer of 2000, Laura flew across the pond with her, and they spent a week touring Britain and France together. Of course, there were many notable moments on that trip, including "biking an inch" on the map of France--after renting the bicycles and getting directions entirely in French--and getting so sore in the process that they couldn't even squeeze their butt cheeks together. Through this and many other experiences, Lynne learned that her little sister--far from being that annoying, toy-breaking kid--is a very fun, very easy going person who knows no strangers and can make just about any situation funny.Today... Laura is completing her fourth year at Western Illinois University, studying Hotel and Restaurant Management. This is really a great career choice for Laura, since her greatest asset is her personality. Laura is easily comfortable with everyone, and she can make anyone feel comfortable and included. She easily and readily talks to strangers, then quickly assesses and sums up their personalities. She is also fun and fun-loving, and she has a talent for turning even boring, routine activities into a rip-roaring good time. She aspires to be an event planner at a hotel or on a cruise ship, which would be a great use of her talent for working with people. For now, Laura is enjoying college life at Westie (as she and Leslie call it), where she is an enthusiastic member of Sigmas Sigma Sigma sorority (so enthusiastic, in fact, that Lynne and Leslie like to count the Pieces of Sigma that she's wearing at any one time), a bartender at a local bar, and a resident of the Best Party House on Campus.
Fun Facts about Laura:1. Since the Seago family is from West Virginia, they pronounce Laura's name "Lah-ra," like it has no "u." Since high school, however, Laura has adopted the more common Illinois pronunciation, "Lor-uh," which she uses among her friends.2. Laura is a hilarious person to play the game Cranium with. She's always coming up with crazy answers. For example, if you act out a burglary, she'll guess "Sneaky Stealer!" And the little
wiener dogs? Not
daschunds. DUTCH-HOUNDS!
3. Laura has the stinkiest feet in recorded human history. Seriously.
What she brings to the wedding party: Laura's main assets are her vivacious personality and her total fearlessness. Since she makes everything fun, Laura is sure to up the fun quotient on the Wedding Day. She's also likely to say or do something that will be both hilarious and memorable. Besides, she is quite comfortable in front of others, and she has willingly embraced the challenge of giving the Wedding Toast at the reception. So you can look forward to that.Megan Hanley
Role in the wedding: Bridesmaid
Relationship to the bride: Future sister-in-law
Known since: July, 2004
As a kid... As you may have figured out already, Lynne didn't know Megan as a kid. But through Matt, she does know a thing or two. Megan was a super-cute little girl who liked to pose by the door before her first day of school each year. She was
involved in Girl Scouts and dance. She liked to listen to Snoopy's Christmas on tape. She once participated in a Mock-
Icecapades in her living room, but cried when the "judges" gave her the silver medal rather than the gold. She broke her femur while in college at Indiana University. She was also incredibly tolerant,
because she put up with a brother who liked to listen to songs about baseball and sing them incessantly.
Today... Megan teaches Reading and Language Arts at Central Junior High in Zion, Illinois. Megan is always thinking of interesting ways to teach the kids--especially with the spelling words. Megan also leads the Craft Club. She lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and she now has a Wisconsin license plate as well as a Wisconsin telephone number. For some reason, Megan seems ashamed of this "evidence" that she does, in fact, live in Wisconsin.
As Matt often says, Megan and Lynne are "giggle buddies." It seems that whenever they are together--at U of I Ultimate Football Weekends, family get-togethers, or Game Nights with Lynne's sisters, Lynne and Megan are cracking up about something (although it's usually Matt). Lynne really does have a lot of fun with Megan. So much so that, as she tells Matt, she'd want to be friends with Megan even if she and Matt had never even met.
Fun facts about Megan:1. A few years ago, Megan was on Oprah's "My Favorite Things" show--the episode was geared specifically toward teachers. On Oprah, Megan won a flat-screen TV, a washer and dryer, an MP3 Player, a GPS System, and a trip to a spa in Arizona. Megan gave away much of her winnings to members of her family.
2. Megan often gets bored while eating. If she gets a 6-inch sub sandwich, for example, she is often bored with the flavor of the sandwich before she has eaten half of it. Likewise, Megan gets bored with reading menus or determining what foods she should eat. For this reason, she is prone to ordering a #1 at any restaurant with a Super Value Menu.
3. Megan's favorite expression is: "
AAAWWWWW Schnapp!" No one knows why.
What she brings to the wedding party: Lynne is also looking forward to having Megan with her on the Wedding Day. Of course, it is very important to Matt to have his little sister be a part of his wedding day. He is very proud of Megan, and Lynne and Matt are both very proud to have her standing up with them. Second, Megan provides the Hanley Connection--very important for communicating with Matt's parents and other family members. And last but not least, she is fun to giggle with. There's sure to be plenty to giggle about when both of these families (not to mention all of the crazy friends!) get together in one place. And if not, Lynne and Megan can always fall back on what they're most familiar with--laughing at Matt. Even Leslie and Laura could probably chime in with that.
